FOG Disposal Article

ABSTRACT

In one example, an article for disposing of fat, oil, and/or grease (FOG) that may include a top opening defined by a perimeter rim configured for placement on a sink bottom surface surrounding a drain. A body may be attached to the perimeter rim, and having an exterior defined by a FOG-impermeable membrane, a portion of which may be sized to fit within the drain, and having an interior including FOG absorbent material. In another example, a container for disposing of (FOG) may include an outer shell having an at least partially hollow interior, a top opening part, a liquid impermeable bottom part, and a liquid impermeable middle part connecting and contiguous to both the top opening part and the bottom part, the top opening part comprising a rim adapted for placement on a surface surrounding a top part of a drain.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/021,033 filed Jul. 4, 2014, and ofU.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/499,288 filed Sep.29, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by thisreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention pertains to the field of articles for properly disposingof fat, oil, and/or grease (“FOG”). In particular, the invention relatesto articles for preventing FOG from clogging pipes.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

The kitchen is often a busy, hectic place where the stress of having toperform certain tasks within or at prescribed times is compounded bypotentially dangerous activities, such as handling hot objects andliquids. Properly disposing of common cooking byproduct FOG in its hotliquid form can be time-consuming and even dangerous. For example,handling and disposing of hot liquid FOG often entails the risk ofspillage from and/or “jumping” in small quantities out of a cookinginstrument, which can result in burns, damage to surrounding kitchenobjects, not to mention create an additional mess. On the other hand,waiting to dispose of FOG can be problematic because the FOG may cool,harden, and congeal to a cooking instrument (such as a frying pan),making cleaning and disposal more difficult. Due at least partly to thelack of attractive alternatives for properly disposing of FOG, FOG isunfortunately often poured in its liquid form down drains, where itflows into drainage pipes. Once in drainage pipes, the FOG cools,thickens, congeals, and sticks to the pipes, slowing water drainage, andeventually clogging and blocking flow altogether. This clogging andblogging causes substantial harm, such as destroying sceptic tanks,resulting in environmental damage (including soil and/or watercontamination) and health hazards, emanating noxious smells, andattracting insects and pests. Conventional methods of removing FOGbuildup in pipes are either unsatisfactory or costly. For example, thecommon practice of boiling and pouring hot water down the pipes onlytemporarily liquefies FOG, but does not prevent it from re-solidifyingfurther down the line, where it may cause the same problems. Similarlyineffective is the method of pouring detergent down drains along withFOG. Thus, pipes clogged by FOG must often be replaced, which mayrequire the services of a professional plumber.

Although several devices and methods have been created to try and solvethe problem of proper FOG disposal, there is still a need for devices,articles, and/or methods that would reduce the amount of time and stepsrequired to properly dispose of FOG in a safe, convenient, economical,and environmentally responsible manner, which would therefore provide adesirable alternative to pouring FOG down a drain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For many people, prior art articles, methods, and devices for disposingof FOG simply do not provide a sufficiently attractive alternative topouring FOG down drains. Pouring hot liquid FOG directly into the trash,for example, is of course not preferable because it can burn through therefuse, garbage bag, and damage the garage container or even start afire. A noxious odor can also begin to emanate from congealed FOG storedin the trash. Placing FOG in bags or containers with nonrigid or thinmembranes, which are then placed in the trash, is similarly undesirablesince the containers/bags can be punctured and the FOG can be reheatedat some point, causing the FOG to return to its liquid and potentiallyproblematic form. In addition to the risk of puncturing, non-rigid andthin container membranes (such as those made of certain plastics and/orthin metal foil) may also either be melted or deformed by hot liquid FOGand/or bent out of shape by the weight of FOG poured thereon or byexternal objects. For example, after liquid FOG is poured intocontainers/bags with non-rigid membranes, such containers/bags are morelikely to take the shape of the inside liquid contents, and thereforemay be awkward to handle, increasing the likelihood of spilling. Therisk of spilling is even greater when/if the bags are not sealed fairlysoon after FOG is placed therein. Similarly, if such bag openings arenot sealed completely, the lack of a substantially rigid membraneincreases the likelihood of the FOG leaking and spilling throughbreaches in the seal.

On the other hand, containers/bags with thicker and more imperviousmembranes are generally more costly to produce. Since these costs arenormally passed onto consumers, and prior art containers/bags holdingcongealed FOG must normally be disposed of along with the FOG, it may beimpractical for cost-conscious consumers to regularly use and dispose ofsuch more expensive containers/bags. In addition to higher costs, manysuch containers/bags with thicker less pervious membranes (and eventhose with thinner, more pervious membranes) are less biodegradable andtherefore more harmful to the environment. For example, although somecontainers might be recyclable when not contaminated with FOG, thecongealed and sticking FOG may foreclose such functionality, which mayresult in additional environmental harm (especially where the containeris not biodegradable).

Environmental harm may also be increased unnecessarily (howeverslightly) by the many prior art containers/bags with sizes substantiallylarger than the volume of the liquid FOG placed therein. Specifically,when said overly large containers, filled just-partially with FOG, aredisposed of in the trash, the unnecessary container material is wastedand also takes up more space in the trash. On the other hand, when suchlarger containers/bags are used to dispose of FOG in a manner that doesnot waste material—requiring reuse multiple times for separate instancesof FOG-producing cooking activities in order to “fill up” the containervolume—then more time-consuming steps are required for proper disposal.For example, many containers/bags appear to be designed to holdapproximately one quart of FOG or more, yet the FOG byproduct from onenon-commercial cooking session is often much less than a quart. It isnot uncommon, for example, that one instance of home cooking generatesan amount of FOG byproduct not substantially more than four ounces, andin a range of two to six and a half ounces. Regardless of the preciseamount of FOG byproduct generated, the larger containers/bags must oftenbe reused several times before disposal in order to avoid waste ofcontainer material, and thus require additional and time-consuming stepsrelating to such reuse. Such steps include, for example, in the interimbetween each addition of FOG by product from different instances ofcooking, the proper storage of both the FOG and container, during whichtime bacteria and pests may be attracted and/or unpleasant odorsemanated. To try and counter these and other negative effects, aFOG-holding container/bag is often either placed in a refrigerator orfreezer, thus requiring additional space, attention, and time, orsealed, for example, with a removable lid, and then unsealed when moreFOG is placed therein, which sealing and unsealing requires additionaltime. Suffice it to say that due to several different factors, the extrasteps for using a container/bag multiple times to dispose of FOG withoutwasting (potentially expensive) container material may be undesirable(e.g., too time-consuming) and lead to a person disposing of FOGimproperly, such as by pouring it down a drain. Although it would bedesirable to have a disposable, environmentally-friendly article thatallowed omission of some disposal-steps and that provided a practical,cost-conscious, non-wasteful solution for effectively and properlydisposing of FOG, few if any disposable articles are specificallydesigned to dispose just of the more limited amount of FOG produced inone instance of cooking at home, efficient for such one-time use andwithout requiring reuse in order to not waste material.

It would further be desirable if such a novel article existed and alsocomprised other features for easy and safe use (e.g., pouring) withoutentailing wastefulness of material and/or substantially higher costs.For example, larger containers/bags are not only more expensive toproduce than smaller containers/bags (other factors being equal), but insome instances can also be less wieldy in the kitchen, especially whenone hand is occupied holding a cooking instrument containing FOG.Moreover, although sealing with a lid may assist in avoiding spillingwhen a container is placed in the trash, containers with lids areadditionally more expensive to manufacture, with the expense normallyincreasing with the size of the lid. On the other hand, smaller lidsrequire smaller openings, which provide smaller targets for pouring FOGinto the containers.

Several other factors in addition to unwieldiness and opening size canalso make pouring FOG into prior art containers and bags a somewhatchallenging task. For example, hot “liquid” FOG may include lumps, ash,or even small food particles, which inconsistencies can result inirregularities in flow when pouring. Furthermore, FOG may be created invarious cooking instruments that are not conducive to pouring in aprecise manner, such as cooking pans with gradually curved rims and flatedges (i.e., without spouts or other features for focusing or directingflow of a liquid). The potentially high temperatures of such cookinginstruments, moreover, especially immediately after cooking when the FOGis still in hot and liquid form, combined with potentially dirty, oilyand/or slippery surfaces due for example to heated FOG particles thatmay have exited the cooking instrument during cooking, can lead to lesssure gripping of the cooking instrument. Similarly, the handle(s) ofsuch instruments may not have been designed to provide optimal leverage,vantage point, or control for pouring. For example, in the case ofcooking instruments that are pans, the FOG may normally be poured byholding the pan away from the body with the arm outstretched, and slowlytilting a side of the pan towards the container and attempting tomonitor the flow of liquid with the naked eye.

This challenge of controlling pouring the FOG is often exacerbated(whether or not consciously recognized by the person pouring) by anoften-raised position of the container/bag due both to placement onelevated kitchen countertops and the large sides of the such prior artcontainer/bag that create an elevated container/bag top opening that mayeven be higher above the kitchen countertop level. This elevatedposition of the “point of entry” for the pouring of the FOG may requirethat the FOG-pouring cooking instrument (e.g., the pan) be held by thearm(s) and hand(s) in an even more lofty and harder to control position.However, the higher the hot liquid FOG is held, the potentially moredangerous such FOG can be if it leaves the confines of the cookinginstrument, either by “jumping” from the cooking instrument due to hightemperature, or by spilling. Moreover, to achieve greater stability whenholding the cooking instrument in a high pouring position, two hands mayoften be used to grip the cooking instrument or handle(s) thereof—whichmay leave no hand free to adjust the position of the container/bagaccording to the point of pouring FOG flow or to stabilize thecontainer/bag, which unbraced-container/bag might then be inadvertentlybumped by the cooking instrument (possibly causing spilling). Thus itwould be desirable if a container with a substantially rigid membraneexisted that allowed more stable pouring of FOG at a lower, morecontrollable and safe position.

Even when liquid FOG is successfully poured into a container/bag andthen placed in the trash, as mentioned above, at some point in thedisposal process (e.g., from the garbage to the refuse landfill) thecontainer/bag's membrane may become compromised and the FOG may becomereheated and return to a harmful liquid form. Possibly aimed to preventsuch situations, some municipalities have prohibitions against placingFOG in the trash in free flowing liquid form, or in a form that canbecome liquid upon application of heat. Some municipalities may allow,however, disposal of FOG if bound in a stable solid form. This may beaccomplished, for example, by the FOG being absorbed by a solid orsemi-solid medium. Although different types of absorbent material mayprovide varying advantages such as weight, rate of absorption, and levelof saturation, few methods and devices comprise designs or shapes formore effectively utilizing absorbent material and/or maximizing thespace inside a container housing absorbent material. However,effectively utilizing absorbent material and maximizing such containermay be beneficial for articles that are intended to consolidate spacefor purposes of efficiency, size, and convenience. Thus, either tocomply with municipal code or simply to avoid the potentialdisadvantages associated with FOG in liquid form, it would be beneficialif in addition to there being a practical, convenient, and efficient,one-time use, disposable, environmentally-friendly container fordisposing of FOG, said container also comprised absorbent material forconverting FOG from a liquid form to a semi-stable solid form(notwithstanding application of heat). It would be further desirable ifsuch a container comprised a design of absorbent material for maximizingthe amount of FOG saturation in a limited amount of absorbent materialvolume, and were comprised of substantially rigid membranes and designslending to stability while pouring FOG therein.

Described herein is such an article for disposing of FOG that overcomesone or more of the aforementioned challenges, such as those associatedwith substantially non-rigid membranes (which may lead to awkwardhandling, spillage, and bending/disfiguration of the membrane at thepoint of FOG contact), having to pour FOG from an elevated position intoan elevated point of entry (i.e., opening) of a container/bag, wastingcontainer material, requiring time-consuming steps, being prohibitivelyexpensive (when disposing a container after each session ofFOG-generating cooking), not maximizing FOG saturation of absorbentmaterial, and not being environmentally friendly. Said article forovercoming one or more of such challenges may provide consumers amongother benefits an attractive alternative and practical solution topouring FOG into a drain (where it can cause environmental harm).

The article comprises a perimeter rim defining a top opening configuredfor placement on the bottom kitchen sink surface surrounding a drain ofthe hollow inward type, so that the body of the article, into which FOGmay be poured, lies below both the perimeter rim and the top opening andmay generally (but not necessarily always) lie at or below a lowerelevation than the bottom sink surface, and fitting within the hollowedinward part of the drain, the body comprising a shape for stably restingwithin the drain cavity, and for maximizing the body volume forreceiving the FOG poured therein. With the article body comprising ashape conforming to and configured to stably fit within the hollowinward cavity of the drain, FOG may be poured into the top opening ofthe article where it may be stored rather than enter the pipe(s) of thedrain. As many kitchen sink drains have circular ring-shaped crosssections (with the inner portion of said ring forming the surface of thedrain 0 defining the hollow drain cavity), the article perimeter rim inmany embodiments may accordingly be circular, having a circumferencewider than the top of the drain contiguous to the kitchen sink bottomsurface.

In some embodiments the article body may comprise a membrane perimeterbeing made of liquid-impervious hard liner material or other rigidexterior membrane that is impermeable to liquid FOG. Other embodimentsmay comprise an exterior membrane (i.e., membrane perimeter) that issubstantially impermeable to liquid FOG. For example, in one embodimentthe exterior membrane may by comprised of corrugated cardboard orrecycled paper molded to the predetermined drain shape (molded forexample utilizing a molded paper pulp process).

Article embodiments may also comprise an interior section of absorbentmaterial, for converting FOG absorbed thereby from a liquid orsemi-liquid state to a solid or semi-sold state. In one embodiment, theabsorbent material may be at least partly enclosed by the exteriormembrane to prevent the FOG from passing through the (potentiallyoversaturated) absorbent material and into the drain pipes. In someembodiments, the entire lower interior of the membrane body may befilled with absorbent material. Absorbent material may be configured toreceive FOG through the top opening. Said absorbent material may alsocomprise material(s) and designs (as described in more detail below) orother absorbent means for maximizing the amount of FOG capable of beingabsorbed given the limited body volume (or container size forembodiments comprising containers). The FOG absorbent material in oneembodiment may comprise polyurethane, and in one particular embodimentmay also resemble a foam sponge comprised of cellulose material (such aswood pulp or other earth-friendly substance). In some embodiments, theentire article and/or the parts thereof may be disposable and/orbiodegradable. For embodiments comprising absorbent means, with the FOGconverted from a liquid state into an at least semi-solid state, thecontainer may be placed in the trash with less risk that puncturing ofthe container will result in the FOG contents leaking into the remainderof the refuse.

The article may also comprise additional features for maximizing FOGabsorption, such as in one embodiment a cover for placement in the topopening for distributing the FOG poured thereon in a predeterminedmanner over the absorbent material in order to increase FOG saturationof the absorbent material. Said cover in one embodiment may have aradially positioned array of slotted annular openings for distributingliquid over the absorbent material, the slots being of narrow width tokeep the trapped and congealed FOG contained within the body fordisposal. In addition to or instead of absorbent material or otherabsorbent means, some body embodiments may comprise an interioradsorbent surface (which in another embodiment might comprise aremovable liner made of, for example, aluminum foil or heavy paper suchas wax paper).

In one embodiment, the article may comprise a predetermined size and/orbody volume (and amount of absorbent material) for holding an amount ofFOG cooking byproduct tailored to a single instance of home cooking. Forexample, in one particular embodiment the body may have a volume forholding substantially four ounces of FOG and absorbent means configuredto receive FOG in a maximum amount within the body volume. A sizeintended for optimally-efficient one-time use, without requiringadditional instances of usage, to efficiently utilize and not wastecontainer material, may allow a user to omit burdensome andtime-consuming disposal steps, such as storage, sealing and unsealing alid multiple times, and placing the container in a refrigerator orfreezer.

In one embodiment, the exterior membrane of the body configured forplacement in the hollowed inward portion of the drain is rigid (foramong other benefits preventing hot liquid FOG poured thereon fromcompromising the figure of the membrane) and forms a container thatstably rests in the drain while FOG is poured into the container throughthe top opening, with the container sides not stretching substantiallyabove the level of the kitchen sink bottom surface, thus allowing acooking instrument from which the FOG is poured to be held at a lowerelevated and more advantageous position. In some container embodiments,the exterior membrane comprises a rigid outer shell for receiving,holding, and disposing of FOG, which may be separable from the portionof the article comprising the absorbent means. Thus, in some embodimentsthe FOG absorbent or adsorbent means may be disposed of without the restof the article also having to be thrown away. In other containerembodiments, the entire article may be designed for convenient disposalalong with the FOG absorbent/adsorbent means.

The shape of the body configured for placement in a drain may alsoprovide greater stability and less awkward handling while pouring FOG.Moreover, in one embodiment, the body may comprise an inside surfacethat may be continuously downward sloping, to facilitate continueddownward flow of FOG due to gravity and filling of the lowest part ofthe interior of the container first, or to otherwise strategically passliquid FOG to the section of absorbent material. With the article stablyplaced in a drain, the FOG may be poured therein with less risk ofspilling, until at a maximum the FOG absorbent means has been fullysaturated and/or until an adsorbent means has also reached its fullcapacity. In one embodiment, the article body may comprise a rigid, flatbottom surface for placement of the container on another flat surface,such as a countertop, with less worry of the FOG spilling. In oneparticular embodiment having downwardly sloping sides (and as describedin more detail in the Description of the Drawings section), the flatbottom surface may have a width of substantially 2.6 inches. Someembodiments (and not necessarily limited to removable shell or containerembodiments) may also comprise other features for more convenient and/orsafer handling of the article, such as a perimeter rim comprising legsor knobs or other means for holding the rest of the perimeter rimelevated sufficiently above the bottom surface of the kitchen drainsurface (yet still not substantially above the kitchen drain bottomsurface) to facilitate grabbing with fingers and removing the articlefrom the drain once the FOG has been poured therein.

The relative convenience of simply securely placing the article in thehollowed portion of the drain of the kitchen sink may encourage properdisposal instead of pouring FOG down a drain and serve as an effectivereminder to a user to not pour the FOG down the drain. In addition, thestabilized position for holding the container within the hollowed inwarddrain while FOG is poured therein, without requiring use of othersupporting devices (such as a funnel) or stabilization by a person'shand(s), may allow a person to use both hands to carefully pour the FOGinto the article.

The placement of the article in the substantially lower-elevatedposition of the drain, furthermore, such as that found along the floorof a kitchen sink, may allow a person to more easily and in a morecontrolled manner hold a pan or other cooking instrument at a lowerpoint over the container, thereby avoiding the expenditure of greaterenergy and allowing more control. Pouring at a level below thecountertop level and/or substantially at the surface of a kitchen sinkmay also be advantageous in the event that hot liquid FOG “jumps” from acontainer or pan. Being held at a lower elevation, furthermore, takesadvantage of the force of gravity and makes such erratic FOG-particlejumping, if it does occur, less likely to result in damage or injury byfor example burning a person's skin or causing damage to surroundingobjects. For example, with the article (and the top opening—i.e., thepoint of entry of the poured FOG) placed at such a lower elevation in akitchen drain or garbage disposal, the sides of a kitchen sink may alsoact more effectively as protective walls preventing the FOG from causinginjury or damage or mess outside the sink area. Moreover, the vantagepoint of looking down into the article in the drain, and of standing incloser proximity to the container may also assist in careful pouringwithout spilling. In addition, the size of the top opening of thearticle may be substantially equal to the width (or diameter) of thedrain opening, thereby providing a sufficiently large “target” forpouring the FOG into (when compared to the more narrow openings of someconventional containers). Moreover, due to the fact that the top openingof many article embodiments may not be substantially wider than thedrain opening diameter or substantially elevated above the kitchen sinkfloor surrounding the drain, the article may be placed in the drainwithout substantially encumbering the area above or around the drain(and especially without encumbering said area with potentially unusedcontainer volume), which area might instead be more easily used forcareful manipulation of a cooking instrument holding and/or pouring FOG.

Although sealing of the container (in container embodiments) may not benecessary once the FOG has been absorbed and converted into at leastpartially solid form, in some embodiments (including those withoutabsorbent means) the top opening may close after FOG is poured therein,and may be resealed, and in other embodiments may be reopened andresealed according to user preference.

In some embodiments the article exterior membrane may also comprisesupporting bars to provide additional structural support, which mayfurther assist in retaining intended shape without requiring a thickerexterior membrane. It is further anticipated that the article maycomprise material, in one embodiment, that is not only impervious to hotliquid FOG, but may also comprise on the outside heat absorbingmaterial, allowing grabbing and holding without risk of burning aperson's hand.

Thus the article may allow disposing of FOG in a more expeditious,economical, efficient, environmentally friendly, regulation-compliant,and safe manner. The above-described embodiments are considered that ofsome embodiments only. It is understood that the embodiments shown inthe drawings below and described above are merely for illustrativepurposes and not intended to limit scope. Therefore, alterations,modifications, and such further applications as would occur to thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) are also contemplated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first article embodiment fordisposing of FOG comprising absorbent material and a FOG-distributingcover removed from the top opening.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the article of FIG. 1 with theFOG-distributing cover placed over the top opening.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 2 placedin a drain of a kitchen sink.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 3removed from the drain and placed safely on a surface.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a separated second articleembodiment for disposing of FOG comprising absorbent material and acontainer, and comprising a trough design.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the unseparated article of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 6,placed in a kitchen sink drain.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective of a third article embodiment for disposingof FOG.

FIG. 9 is a cutaway cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 8,placed in a kitchen sink drain.

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a fourth article embodiment fordisposing of FOG, comprising a cone design for distributing FOG evenlyto absorbent material.

FIG. 11 is a cutaway cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 10,placed in a kitchen sink drain.

FIG. 12 is an overhead perspective view showing the article in FIG. 1 inits environment of use, stably positioned in a kitchen sink andreceiving FOG poured therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a first article embodiment13 for properly disposing of FOG. The article 13 may comprise absorbentmaterial 14 contained by an outer body perimeter (i.e., exteriormembrane forming a body shape) 16, and a top opening 15 above theabsorbent material 14 for receiving FOG there-through, the top opening15 defined by a perimeter rim 17 having a width wider than the bodyperimeter 16. The article 13 may also comprise a cover 18 for placementover both the top opening 15 and the absorbent material 14 thereunder,as shown in FIG. 2. The cover 18, in the embodiment 13 shown, whenplaced over the top opening 15 defined by the perimeter rim 17, maycomprise a design for distributing FOG 19 more evenly over the absorbentmaterial 14, as shown in FIG. 3. In addition, the perimeter rim 17 maycomprise dimensions and/or have a shape adapted for placement on thebottom kitchen sink surface 21 surrounding a drain 22 of the hollowinward type, so that the article body 16, more narrow than and below therim 17, may fit within the drain cavity 20 and stably rest therein. Thebody 16, moreover, may comprise a shape conforming to, the hollow inwardcavity of the drain 20 and configured for maximizing the amount ofabsorbent material 14 and available volume for receiving the FOG 19therein.

The drain 20 shown, like drains often found along a bottom kitchen sinksurface 21, comprises circular ring-shaped cross sections. Accordingly,the perimeter rim 17 of the article embodiment 13 shown is alsocircular, having a circumference greater than the circumference of thetop of the drain 23 (contiguous to the kitchen sink bottom surface 21)for placement thereon, and the body 16 also may also have circular crosssections of sizes for securely placing the article 13 within the concavedrain 20. The top opening 15 defined by the perimeter rim 17 may alsohave a circumference and/or width substantially approximating thecircumference and/or width of the top of the drain 23, thereby providinga larger “target” for pouring the FOG there-through. For example, thecombined width of the top opening 15 and the perimeter rim 17 may be inthe embodiment shown substantially 4.4 inches. The height of theperimeter rim 17 in the embodiment shown may substantially be 0.75inches, or other height so that the top opening 15 is not substantiallyabove, or rather substantially even with the level of the bottom sinksurface 21. The height from the top of the perimeter rim 17 to thebottom of the article 13 may in the embodiment shown be substantially2.38 inches. In the embodiment 13 shown, the body 16 may also comprisean inside surface 24 bordering the absorbent material 14 that iscontinuously downward sloping, and may in the embodiment shown have apitch of substantially 18 degrees, to facilitate continued downward flowof FOG 19 so that the absorbent material 14 is more likely to becomesaturated first from the bottom up. In this manner, pouring FOG 19 intothe top opening 15 prevents and provides an attractive alternative fromFOG 19 being poured down the drain 20 and entering a pipe 22.

The absorbent material 14 in the particular embodiment shown 13 may havea sponge-like texture (may comprise polyurethane), and may convert theliquid FOG 19 absorbed thereby to a solid or semi-sold, more stablestate 25, as shown in FIG. 4. So-converted, the FOG is ready for properdisposal and may be removed from the drain of FIG. 3, and placed onanother surface 26 (or in the garbage) without fear that the solid-FOG25 contents may spill from the article 13. Moreover, the perimeter body16 of the embodiment shown 13 may be comprised ofenvironmentally-friendly rigid/semi-rigid material, such as hard paperliner allowing the article 13 to retain its form even when the liquidFOG 19 therein has not yet cooled or congealed or converted into itssolid/semi-solid FOG state 25.

In other embodiments, such as those shown in FIGS. 5-12, the bodyperimeter 16 may also be rigid and comprise a separable piece from therest of the article 13. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a secondarticle embodiment 27 for properly disposing of FOG may comprise a bodyperimeter that is a shell container 28 also having a shape for fittingin a drain 20, similar to that previously-described for the firstembodiment 13 above (in FIG. 3), having circular cross sections, andalso comprising a perimeter rim 32. The second article embodiment 27 mayalso comprise a top opening 31, and absorbent material 29 configured forfitting within the shell container 28, and may also comprise a filter 30for placement over the top opening 31 and absorbent material 29.However, the top opening 31 need not be defined by the perimeter rim 32,but rather may be comprised by a liner piece 35 configured for placementwithin the shell container 28, which liner piece 35 may also comprisethe absorbent material 29. The size of the absorbent material 29 in thesecond embodiment 27 may also comprise a predetermined size and/or bodyvolume and/or material type for absorbing an amount of FOG cookingbyproduct tailored to one instance of home cooking. The perimeter rim 32may also comprise legs 33 for holding the rest of the perimeter rim 32elevated to facilitate grabbing as described in more detail below. Thesecond embodiment 27 also comprises a trough 34 overflow area forcatching FOG once the absorbent material 29 is saturated. The trough 34area may be formed by a side exterior membrane 36 enclosing the sides ofthe absorbent material 29, joined to/intersecting with thedownward-middle sloping wall of the liner 35.

As shown in FIG. 6, the liner piece 35 may be placed inside theshell/container 28 (and the liner piece 35 may also be removable fromthe shell/container 28), and as shown in FIG. 7 the filter 30 may beplaced over the top opening 31 and the absorbent material 29, and thearticle 27 may be placed in the drain 20 along a bottom kitchen sinksurface 21, with the legs 33 of the perimeter rim 32 resting along thetop of the drain 23 so that the shell/container 28 stably rests insidethe drain 20. The trough 34 formed by the absorbent side exteriorliner/membrane 36 and the downward-middle sloping wall of the liner 35may capture any excess FOG 19 that was poured into the filter 30 and topopening 31 but that was not absorbed by the absorbent material 29. Afterthe absorbent material 29 has absorbed the liquid FOG 19, and any excessFOG 19 has been properly dealt with, disposal may occur, either bydisposing of just the liner piece 35 (comprising the absorbent material29) after it has been separated from the shell/container 28, or theentire article 27. Thus the shell/container 28 in one embodiment 27 mayassist in providing a more secure fit within the drain 20, and/orproviding an extra layer of cautiousness to assure that FOG 19 does notescape down the drain 20.

Other embodiments, like the third article embodiment 37 shown in FIG. 8,may not necessarily comprise the outer shell container 28, but rathermay simply comprise a rigid outer membrane 38 for placement within thedrain 20. The embodiment 37 also need not comprise a filter 30 (like thesecond article embodiment 27 shown in FIGS. 5-7) but rather may comprisean exposed top opening 39 defined by a perimeter rim 41, which rim 41may also be configured for placement over the top of the drain 23contiguous with the bottom sink surface 21. The outer membrane 38 mayalso be comprised of substantially rigid material so that it does notlose some of its form when FOG 19 is placed therein and over theabsorbent material 40.

As shown in FIG. 9, the hollowed inward part of the drain 20 may have amiddle section 51 and a bottom section 52, and the outer membrane 38 mayalso have a middle section 53 and a bottom section 54 roughly conformingto the middle section 51 and bottom section 52. As shown in FIG. 9, insome examples, the cross section of the middle section 53 may be greaterthan the cross section of the bottom section 54, the height of themiddle section 53 may be greater than the height of the bottom section54, and/or the slope of the middle section 53 may be greater than theslope of the bottom section 54.

The configurations of absorbent material may vary in ways intended tomaximize the amount of saturation given limited space. As shown in FIG.10, a fourth article embodiment 42 may comprise a cone 43 design in themiddle of and below the top opening 45 for distributing FOG 19 moreevenly to a ring of absorbent material 44 surrounding the cone 43. Thus,as shown in FIG. 11, when the article 42 is placed over and in a drain20, and when FOG 19 is poured through the top opening 45 and onto thecone 43, which may have a top height greater than the height of theabsorbent material 44, the FOG 19 may be distributed to the absorbentmaterial 44 surrounding the cone 43.

As mentioned, each embodiment described above 13, 27, 37, 42, in theirenvironment of use may be stably positioned to receive FOG 19 therein ina drain 20 in the bottom of a kitchen sink surface 21, which may beadvantageous in several respects, encouraging proper disposal instead ofpouring FOG 19 down a drain 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, theperimeter rim 17 may rest on the top of the drain 23 in a manner that isnot substantially elevated above the bottom sink surface 21. Thisadvantageous position may allow, when disposing of FOG 19 by pouringinto the top opening 15 of the article 13, a cooking instrument 46 fromwhich FOG is being poured to be held by a person 47 at a lower and morecontrolled elevation, and potentially not far above the sink bottomsurface 21. Moreover the rigidity of the body 16 (FIGS. 1-3) and itsshape configured to fit within the drain 20 and its inability tosignificantly move laterally may provide added stability lending togreater control while pouring FOG 19. In addition, said stability, whichcan be achieved without a hand 48 having to hold the article 13, mayalso leave both of a person's 47 hands 48 free to carefully pour the FOG19 into the article 13. Furthermore, with the article 13 and the cookinginstrument 46 both held at a lower elevation, the person 47 pouring mayhave a more preferable vantage point of looking down at the article 13in the drain 20, and of standing in closer lateral proximity to thearticle 13. Also, pouring occurring substantially in the confines of thesink 49 at a level below the countertop 50 may also decrease thelikelihood that the hot liquid FOG 19 will erratically jump from thecooking instrument 46 upward and out of sink 49 (which might otherwisedamage or and/or dirty surrounding persons 47 and objects).

What is claimed is:
 1. An article for disposing of fat, oil, and/orgrease (FOG), the article comprising: a top opening defined by aperimeter rim, the perimeter rim configured for placement on at least aportion of a bottom surface of a sink surrounding a drain having a firstmaximum width; a body permanently attached to the perimeter rim and atleast partially located below the perimeter rim and the top opening, anexterior of the body defined by a continuous FOG-impermeable membrane,at least a portion of which is concave and sized to fit within thedrain, which portion has a second maximum width less than the firstmaximum width of the drain, and an interior of the body comprisingabsorbent material for absorbing the FOG.
 2. The article of claim 1,wherein the perimeter rim has a third maximum width greater than thesecond maximum width of the body and greater than the first maximumwidth of the drain.
 3. The article of claim 2, wherein the third maximumwidth of the perimeter rim is in a range of 3.0-5.0 inches.
 4. Thearticle of claim 3, wherein the perimeter rim comprises a first heightin a range of 0.1-1.0 inches.
 5. The article of claim 4, wherein thebody comprises a bottom side opposite the perimeter rim; and wherein thebody comprises a body height measured from at least one of the perimeterrim or a portion of the body extending above the perimeter rim to thebottom side in a range of 0.5-3.0 inches.
 6. The article of claim 5,wherein the bottom side comprises a flat bottom surface for stableplacement of the container on a flat surface.
 7. The article of claim 1,wherein the first maximum width comprises a first diameter, and thesecond maximum width comprises a second diameter, and the third maximumwidth comprises a third diameter.
 8. The article of claim 1, wherein thefirst maximum width is associated with a circular cross section of thedrain, and the second maximum width is associated with a circular crosssection of the body.
 9. The article of claim 1, wherein the bodycomprises a plurality of sections, and the first maximum widthcorresponds to at least one of the plurality of sections and is one of aplurality of maximum widths corresponding to the plurality of sections.10. The article of claim 1, wherein the top opening is configured toclose and open.
 11. The article of claim 10, wherein the top opening isfurther configured to seal when in a closed position to prevent FOG fromexiting therefrom.
 12. The article of claim 1, wherein the absorbentmaterial comprises polyurethane, and the membrane comprises cellulosematerial.
 13. The article of claim 1, wherein a height of the perimeterrim extends to a height below a countertop surrounding the sink of thekitchen drain.
 14. A container for disposing of (FOG), comprising: anintegrally formed continuous outer shell comprising an at leastpartially hollow interior, a top opening part, a liquid impermeablebottom part, and a liquid impermeable middle part connecting andcontiguous to both the top opening part and the bottom part, the topopening part comprising a rim adapted for placement on a surfacesurrounding a top part of a drain having a first maximum width; themiddle part and bottom part together comprising a shape conforming atleast in part to a hollowed inward part of the drain for placement atleast partially inside the drain; and wherein the outer shell isconfigured to receive FOG through the top part without the FOG exitingthrough the bottom part or the middle part; and wherein the outer shellcomprises a second maximum width less than the first maximum width ofthe drain.
 15. The container of claim 14, wherein the rim comprises athird maximum width greater than the first maximum width of the drain.16. The container of claim 15, wherein the bottom part comprises adistal end opposite the top opening part; and wherein the outer shellcomprises a height measured from the top opening part to the distal endof bottom part in a range of 0.5-3.0 inches.
 17. The container of claim15, wherein the third maximum width of the rim comprises a firstdiameter, and the second maximum width of the drain comprises a seconddiameter.
 18. The container of claim 14, wherein the first maximum widthis associated with a circular cross section of the drain, and the secondmaximum width is associated with a circular cross section of the outershell.
 19. The container of claim 14, wherein the first maximum width ofthe outer shell is one of a plurality of distinct maximum widths of theouter shell corresponding to at least one of the top opening part, themiddle part, or the bottom part.
 20. The container of claim 14, whereinthe top opening part is configured to close and open.